Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins tore up Washington in the Rose Bowl, and now the third-year sophomore is entering the 2019 NFL draft.
He's the clear-cut top quarterback in this class since Oregon's Justin Herbert decided to stay for his senior season. Here's what makes Haskins such an interesting prospect, and why he's going to be in contention to go No. 1 overall in April:
What makes Haskins special
Just watch this throw in the Big Ten championship game. Haskins checks on both of his deep routes, steps up in the pocket, then fires a pass 51 yards in the air for a 63-yard completion. That's a big-time throw. That's what Haskins does when he is at his best -- which he was all throughout 2018. A first-year starter, Haskins threw 50 touchdown passes and just eight interceptions, finishing third in the Heisman Trophy voting and setting several Big Ten records.
Even before Herbert decided to return to Oregon, Haskins was right on his heels as the top signal-caller in this class. Their grades were similar; Haskins was No. 7 on my most recent Big Board. At 6-foot-3, 220 pounds, he can make every throw. He has an effortless and compact release, and that shows when he's launching balls across the field on out routes, and when he's hitting receivers in stride on go routes. He's accurate, shows great anticipation on throws and takes care of the ball. He's athletic, but he's not a runner.
Haskins shows poise and never gets rattled. He loves the spotlight and craves pressure -- just look at how he stepped up and torched Michigan, one of college football's top defenses.
The knock on Haskins is experience -- he has started just 14 games, and that small sample size could scare off some teams. The recent comparison is Mitchell Trubisky, who started 13 games at North Carolina before the Bears took him No. 2 overall in 2017. Teams see that high ceiling with Haskins, just like they did with Trubisky. And Haskins was extremely consistent all season long -- in his "bad" game at Penn State, he led a come-from-behind victory with big throw after big throw in the fourth quarter. Haskins is an elite quarterback prospect.
Why Haskins could go No. 1
With the top 20 picks set for the 2019 draft, we know that no team in the top five needs a quarterback (unless Jon Gruden and the Raiders surprise us). That means it's going to take a trade for Haskins to go there, and that's not out of the question.
Teams aren't trading their entire drafts for running backs like Ricky Williams anymore -- they're trading into those elite picks to get quarterbacks. In each of the past three drafts, at least two teams moved up into the top 10 to take a player they hope will be their quarterback of the future. In 2018, it was the Jets (Sam Darnold), Bills (Josh Allen) and Cardinals (Josh Rosen). In 2017, it was the Bears (Mitchell Trubisky) and Chiefs (Patrick Mahomes). And 2016 saw both the Nos. 1 and 2 picks dealt for quarterbacks -- the Rams moved up for Jared Goff and the Eagles moved up for Carson Wentz.
The teams to watch in the top 10 this year are the Giants (No. 6) and Jaguars (No. 7), who both should be in the market for a new starter this offseason. Keep an eye on Denver at No. 10, too, as the Broncos' past two seasons have been derailed by shoddy QB play. It would take a lot of capital to move into the top five picks, but it could be worth it to get a quarterback with the potential to be a star.